Abstract:
Undoubtedly, unity together with consensus plays a major role in developing a nation. Unity can only be attained when all human, irrespective of their flaws, social classes or misunderstandings, come together as one. Today, disunity and conflict are major and undeniable problems facing the Muslim ummah. The increasing sectarian ethnocentrism has spattered and blemished the fundamental Islamic teachings as well as the unity of the Muslim ummah. Muslims, today, are suffering from numerous problems which are born from sectarian hatred, greed, creed prejudice, lust for power, intolerance and other materialistic interests. On the other hand, the enemies of the muslims are united and are fully aware that their strength lies in the weakness of Muslims. Hence, they are engaged in making conspiracies to divide Muslims.
(Key words: Islam, Muslims, unity and Muslim unity)
Asalamualaikun warahmatullah wabarakatuh. All praise is due to Allah, the munificent, the merciful, for his blessing and mercy upon us, for the fact that he spared our life till this day and for the fact that he made us not just muslims but devoted muslims who understand the etiquettes of Islam.
My name is Alawiye Sekinah, a student of Lagos State University from the Faculty of Education, Department of Business Education. I am here to present my paper on the topic "MUSLIM UNITY: The cynosure of our strength."
Just like the theme for this year's NHICOMS program states "MUSLIM UNITY", three Important terms that must be conceptualized are, Islam, muslim, unity then Muslim unity in general.
What is unity? According to Merriam Webster dictionary, Unity is the quality or state of being one. It is also a state of continuity without deviation. It can also be called cooperation. Unity in Arabic means ‘ittihaad’.
What is Islam? A famous Islamic scholar who goes by the name, Dr. Zakir Naik defines Islam as a word derived from the Arabic word Salam which means peace and that in short form, islam simply means peace acquired by submitting your will to almighty Allah. Generally Islam means the total submission to the will of Allah as well as acting according to the teachings of the Quran and prophet Muhammad(SAW).
Who is a Muslim? According to Dr. Zakir Naik again, he defines the word Muslim as someone who acquires peace by submitting to the will of Allah. So, generally, a Muslim is someone who submits to the will of Allah as well as acting according to the teachings of the prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Quran as the holy book.
What is muslim unity? Muslim unity simply means, the case where Muslims irrespective of their social class, differences, tribes or age come together as one with the same believe of one God, one last prophet and one holy book.
It is a situation whereby Muslims gather together to discuss and carry out activities that would promote their welfare as well as everything that has to do with the religion of Islam.
Muslim unity simply means when Muslims share a common goal and work towards achieving a desired result. Muslim unity also means the coming together of Muslims from all over the world irrespective of social class, tribe, language or differences to worship Allah and promote the religion of Islam through dawah.
Muslim unity is loving your fellow Muslims irrespective of their flaws, shortcomings and imperfections.
Allah said In Quran Chapter 3, verse 103, "and hold fast all together by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves, and remember with gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make his signs clear to you: that ye may be guided” (Quran, 3:103). In essence, this verse is telling Muslims that we should not be divided and we should always stick together as one ummah.
This is the concept of muslim unity but, to be candid, my Muslim brothers and sister is this the case today?
Another definition of muslim unity is when Allah says in Quran Chapter 30, verse 30-31 "
وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ; مِنَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا ۖ كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُون
And be not ye among Mushrikeen (those who join gods with God), - i.e., those who split up their Religion, and become Sects, - each party rejoicing in `that which is with itself! (30:31-32) [Yusuf Ali]
Is this the case today my dear Muslim brothers and sister. Absolutely no! All I see today is not one ummah but different sects who call themselves Muslims forgetting that being a Muslim goes beyond praying in one masjid, wearing slightly below knee length trousers, keeping beards, using hijab and just praying salat alone. We have to love one another irrespective of our flaws and shortcomings.
CAUSES OF DISUNITY AMONG MUSLIMS:
1. Lacking the fear of Allah: It is pathetic to say that majority of us muslims today are simply nominal muslims who do not know and are not willing to know what it entails to be an ideal muslim. This is another reason why the Muslim ummah is divided. Our hearts are so dirty that we have lost every iota of the fear of Allah. We do and undo without thinking about the consequences, without any iota of guilty conscience, forgetting that Allah sees all that is in the hidden and open and he would be the last judge.
This ignorant and nonchalant attitude is one of the major causes of disunity among muslims because when we lack the fear of Allah, there will be no self consciousness and when we lack self consciousness, we won't see wrongs as wrong and indulging in immoral acts will become a normal abnormalities.
2. Intolerance: According to Merriam Webster dictionary, Intolerance is unable or unwilling to endure. It also means unwilling to grant equal freedom of expression in religious matters. Today, one of the major reasons why muslims are divided is because we lack tolerance, we always want our own opinions to be heard and approved while we keep disapproving and rubbishing the opinions of other people. We allow little and trivial issues cause rift between us, we allow little misunderstandings overpower our love for one another, we allow imperfections that could be tolerated tear us apart. Tolerating one another has become an issue for us muslims but the fact is that there is no one ummah without unity and there is no unity without tolerance.
3. Misplaced priorities: This is the act of giving importance to that which should be given little or no importance. This is another cause of disunity among the Muslims. We give so much Importance to issues that have nothing to do with our Deen neither will it benefit us as muslims while we ignore issues that are affecting us a muslims today.
Today, there are countless problems facing the Muslim ummah among which are poverty, deprivation of rights, sexual abuse and many others but no, we choose to satisfy our own selfish interest and pursue our worldly desires to the extent that we end up promoting the Haram rather than Halal.
The fact still remains that Unity can never thrive in a society where so much Importance is given to this dunya instead of the Akhira.
4. Greed: This is a strong selfish desire of having more and more of something, especially power, money, fame, wealth and food. It is so damaging that it can destroy everything in a man’s life and take away his power to succeed. This is exactly what we can use to define muslims and humans in general today. We are so blisnded by their pursuit for wealth, money, fame and worldly desires that we have forgotten our brotherhood responsibilities as well as our main purpose as muslims which is to worship and please Allah. Our greediness as pushed us to the extent where all we care about is satisfying our own needs rather than the needs of others. We are so engrossed in the temporary luxuries of this world that we have forgotten the Akhira which is eternal and that nothing we do on this earth is going to benefit us in the hereafter except our deeds and Deen.
5. Competition: Today, we have approximately 2 billion Muslims in the world and approximately 107 million Muslims in Nigeria and that 2 billion has already been divided into 73 sects each claiming to be an ideal follower of the prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the teachings of the Quran. Have we forgotten the Hadith of the prophet Muhammad (SAW) which was translated by trimidh where he said “My ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one group.” This Hadith is saying that out of all the 73 Sects just one will enter paradise and the rest are going to be inmates of the hell fire. Subhanallah! Why then are we dividing ourselves instead of sticking together as one ummah.
Today, the number of mosques being set up are increasing on a daily basis but it is pathetic to say that they mosques today are competing against one another in size and number of followers instead of using it to please Allah.
6. Abandonment of the Quran & Sunnah: The Quran and Sunnah are the only divine guidance that the mankind are left with and there cannot be any guidance better than the word of our Lord, the Quran or the words/actions for the Prophet ﷺ which is his Sunnah and Hadith but if we start adding or removing things as per our whims & desires we would never be able to come to common terms and we are bound to have disagreements and disunity.
SOLUTIONS TO DISUNITY:
Allah said in Quran,Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13, “Oh mankind, indeed, I have created you from the male and the female and made you nations and tribes so that you may get to know each other. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most God conscious of you. Indeed, Allah is All Knowing and All Aware”.
It’s important to understand that Allah is telling us that he has created humans differently and misunderstandings are bound to arise as a result of these differences but we should get to know one another, understand one another, tolerate and endure one another for unity to thrive.
The creator of humanity is informing us in this verse that we were created different right from the offset, so then your opinions will be different, your thoughts will be different, your taste will be different, what you enjoy will be different, and with whom you align or group together with will be different.
So my question to you is, do you think that these differences will not remain with us even if we are from one group of people, for example, we come from one family. We find that as parents, every child is different and they love to play with each other, and they love to bicker and fight. These children are drawn together by their family ties, yet sometimes you can enjoy their company and other times they frustrate you. This is the case within one family. So what about a nation or a tribe which is built up of many, many hundreds of thousands of families.
So the differences that exist amongst us are natural and we were created to be that way. However, Allah gives us a very clear solution here and insha’Allah we will talk about that in the following points. So here goes…
1. ALLAH COMMANDS US TO HOLD FIRMLY TO THE ROPE OF ALLAH:
This is the foundation of unity because it gives us a common understanding and a common set of rules by which we can live and this will create a sense of harmony amongst us.
The rope of Allah as the Quranic scholars have explained is the Quran and the Sunnah. We find in the Quran, that Allah has given us a set of rules, universal rules that will help us live with each other in harmony. So, if we abide by these rules, then we end up upholding each other’s rights and not transgressing and harming each other.
Sometimes we are feel emotionally low and our behaviour, then reflects. However, if at that time, when you are feeling an emotional low you remember how Allah taught us to behave, then you’re more likely to be on guard of your own behaviours. This is why Allah says: Indeed, the most noble of you is the one who is most God-conscious. Because if you are aware of Allah as much as possible, then you will be aware of your actions and curb your actions when they are going to hurt someone else.
Allah says, “do not become divided”
This is a command and the fact that your Creator is telling you not to be divided means that you may incline towards dividing with others and disuniting with them. It’s in our nature that we tend to cling to our differences and believe that the way we think, or the way we do things, is better or more superior to the way others think and behave.
When you are aware of Allah and remember this statement (do not be divided), then you will be careful that you don’t do something that causes friction between you and someone else. You cannot control other people. Which brings us onto the next point.
2. CHANGE BEGINS WITH YOU:
The greatest influence that we have in this world is over our own selves. You may also have influence over your family and the people closest to you, but that influence is always going to be limited. We as humans have our own minds and we are open to influence but we will serve our own interests in the end.
So, the question is, are you spending your time trying to fix everyone else or are you spending time trying to change who you are and taking ownership of your own life and actions? As an individual, you have the power to change your world but before you can change the world then you must change yourself first.
You have to trust Allah because He says: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of people until they change that which is within themselves”. This implies that if you change yourself, then Allah will change everything else. You may go on to become the agent of change in everyone else’s life, but you can’t do that until you yourself have changed.
Today, we muslims and humans in general have the habit of blaming the government for almost every problem in our lives to the extent that when there’s conflict between us and our loved ones, we blame the government instead of our own nonchalance and imperfections but the fact is that whatever problem we are facing today is born from our own actions, ignorance and impatience. So, if we want the society to experience change, if we want the muslim ummah to become one and if we want unity to prevail then it starts from us as an individual. We have to combine our little efforts and utilize the sense organs Allah blessed us with and use it to transform our lives as well as those around us not blaming the government.
3. ALLAH CREATED HUMANS DIFFERENTLY:
You have to accept that people will be different and you will not always see eye to eye with everyone. When you accept this, it will make you more flexible and more empathetic so that you’re able to understand how someone else is feeling, or even able to put yourself in their situation.
When you can think yourself into someone else’s situation, it will help you to understand why they behave the way they do. This is a skill that needs to be nurtured, practised, practised and practised even further. When we become empathetic humans, we will understand how to change the world.
4. TAKE OWNERSHIP:
Take ownership of your actions and let others do that for their own actions. This is a bit of an overlapped point, however, it’s so important that I need to re-emphasize this. Take ownership of your actions. Whether your actions are good or bad, it will have every effect on your life and also the relationships that you have with others.
The knowledge that you learn from the Quran and the Sunnah is a knowledge that will help you to shape your life. However, if you don’t use it, you’ll be like the book on your shelf collecting dust and not bringing about any positive contribution to the world. By the way, when I talk about the world, I’m talking about your world. If you want your world to be a nice place, then you have to be a nice person.
5. STOP WASTING TIME:
Stop waiting for the world to change, and for people to become reunited and live happily ever after. If you don’t like seeing the disunity and the discord, then become the change that you want to see in the world. You have limited time, like the rest of us. So, if you focus your time on positive change, then you will see positive change around you.
Allah commanded us to hold fast and firm to the Quran and the Sunnah, so use your time to read it and understand it. It’s important to understand what Allah is giving us in the Quran and the Sunnah, so that we know how to remedy this situation. Let’s stop waiting for the Islamic scholars or anyone else to do it and start making efforts to promote unity among muslims now.
6: UNDERSTANDING THAT ALLAH IS THE ONLY JUDGE:
Look, don’t judge others because they are only human and they will fall short. You know perfectly well, how we as individuals we all fall short. I know my shortcomings, even if the rest of the world doesn’t. So, I should focus my time on changing myself and trying to be an agent of goodness in this world.
Being a part of the Muslim Ummah, is one of the greatest blessings that Allah has blessed us with and so if we are going to aid the people into a good situation, then we can only do it with good intentions and good actions.
My job is not to judge anyone else for their actions, because Allah is all Hearing and all Seeing and He will judge everyone according to their actions. So, my concern should be to change my own deeds so that when I am judged by the Almighty, I would be safe with what I have done.
7. LASTLY DON’T BE A SELF-HATER:
I’ve met many Muslims, all sorts, from different backgrounds, different nations and found that we are all different. Allah revealed the Quran and the Sunnah as a system of life that is flexible and caters for those difference between us. When you understand that Muslims are different and they come from different backgrounds with different baggage, then you have to be compassionate and you have to be merciful.
Don’t be a Muslim that hates Muslims and always scorns at them or belittles them due to what you view as floors or shortcomings that they have. Hating on people will not change the problem, it will just add to the problem. We must learn to endure and tolerate one another because that is the only way peace and unity can prevail.
If you want to change the situation, then it begins at home with understanding and then acting upon the understanding. Don’t hate the Muslims, we are human and not perfect.
I’ll leave you with one Question every Muslim should ask themselves, Did the Prophet (saw) do what I’m doing?
This will always be a sobering question.
I pray and hope (positively) that Allah the Most Loving brings our hearts together and establishes us upon the Quran and the Sunnah.
REFERENCES:
The Quran
Muslim Life Coach institute
World data
Dr. Abdul Fattah Ashur
Abdul Malik Mujahid
Ustadth Abdul Shahid
Islamic Quotes
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